chinese new year goodies for freddie


kimmy contacted me again. she wanted my help to pass chinese new year goodies like pineapple tarts, love letters and kueh bangkit to freddie kee. this has been going on for several years -since the time freddie left admiralty primary. kimmy told me that she felt indebted to freddie because he was the principal who gave her a second chance to prove herself.

i find this arrangement very awkward. she presents a whole bag of goodies to freddie and i, whom she also considers a friend, does not get any, not even a token. i used to joke with freddie, saying i would impose a 'tax' for my services.

this year, i told kimmy: and i don't get anything? she laughed and said: okay, lah, okay. i'll give you some also. she is doing relief teaching at qihua primary, so i will go to the school to collect the goodies from her and pass them to freddie whom i am meeting on sunday because a mutual friend is giving us a retirement dinner at tung luk.

i still remember how kimmy and her late sister got out of their chartered taxi and asked the driver to take us (my family of four) from jonker's street to hotel renaissance in melaka on a hot and humid day. we had been trying to hail a taxi when this one suddenly stopped in front of us and two ladies stepped out. we were so grateful to them for this kind gesture.